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≡ FIFA WORLD CUP ≡
The first elimination game of the FIFA World Cup was at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, with the second-place teams from Groups A and B – Canada and South Africa – facing off.
This was end-to-end action from the start, but strong defending and only two shots (1-1) in the first 15 minutes. South Africa had 65% possession at the hydration break, but Canada – with the crowd on their side – had a 3-2 shot edge.
Canada had a real chance in the 44th, off a corner that was headed by defender Moise Bombito, and the shot had to be cleared by South African defender Aubrey Modiba, and then a rebound shot by forward Tajon Buchanan was kicked away by keeper Ronwen Williams. At 45+1 a possible penalty in the box on defender Richie Laryea on a tackle by South Africa’s Khuliso Mudau was waved off as incidental. The late rush gave Canada an 7-3 shots edge while South Africa finished the half with 55% possession.
The game was end-to-end again in the second half and Canadian forward Tani Oluwaseyi ran onto a lead pass in the 65th and got a clean shot on goal that was saved by Williams, then a rebound was stabbed at by striker Jonathan David, but kicked away by defender Mbekezell Mbozaki, saving a sure goal.
At the second hydro break, it was still scoreless, with South Africa at 59% possession, but the shots piling up for Canada (9-4). Canada was getting more cohesion and forward Promise David just missed a long-range shot to the left in the 76th.
The Canadian pressure finally paid off at 90+2 as an entry pass into the box was headed back into the midfield and midfielder Stephen Eustaquio ran up to smash a right-footed one-timer into the South Africa net for the 1-0 lead and a wild celebration of the pro-Canada crowd.
Canada held off the South African rally and won the game, 1-0, with 42% possession but much more aggressive, with a 12-6 edge on shots.
Canada moves on and their “reward” will be to play the winner of Netherlands-Morocco on Monday, on 4 July in Houston.
≡ PANORAMA ≡
The elimination round-of-32 slate for Monday and Tuesday:
Monday, 29 June 2026:
● Brazil vs. Japan ● In Houston (1 p.m. Eastern)
● Germany vs. Paraguay ● In Foxborough (4:30 p.m. Eastern)
● Netherlands vs. Morocco ● In Monterrey (9 p.m. Eastern)
Tuesday, 30 June 2026:
● Ivory Coast vs. Norway ● In Arlington (1 p.m. Eastern)
● France vs. Sweden ● In East Rutherford (5 p.m. Eastern)
● Mexico vs. Ecuador ● In Mexico City (9 p.m. Eastern)
In terms of advancement, the big winner of the expansion to 48 teams and 32 in the knock-out round was Africa, and always-strong Europe also did better than in 2022:
● 13: Europe (of 16 entries; vs. 8/13 in 2022)
● 9: Africa (of 10 entries; vs. 2/5 in 2022)
● 5: South America (of 6 entries; vs. 2/4 in 2022)
● 3: North & Central America & the Caribbean (of 6 entries; vs. 1/4 in 2022)
● 2: Asia (of 9 entries; vs. 3/6 in 2022).
The 16 elimination-round teams in 2018 in Russia included 10 from Europe, four from South America and one each from Asia and CONCACAF.
¶
The tracking site TicketData.com noted that for the 72 matches of the group stage, the median get-in price settled at a final of $913, with 61 matches rising in price since the tournament began.
The median price almost doubled – up 49% – since the 11 June start and 11 matches saw increases of 10-25%, 16 matches were up 25-50% and 34 matches went up by more than 50%.
As for the remaining knock-out round matches, the current median get-in price is $1,852, with half of the matches rising in price since 11 June by 50% or more and just eight that fell in price or were flat.
The lowest-priced round-of-32 ticket as of Sunday morning was Belgium vs. Senegal on 1 July in Seattle, at $449.
¶
The CBC reported that British Columbia Attorney General Niki Sharma has opened an inquiry into the handling of World Cup tickets by StubHub, “in the wake of a CBC News investigation that revealed a mass failure by the ticket reseller platform and StubHub’s cancellation of thousands of fan tickets for World Cup matches in Vancouver, Toronto and host cities across North America.”
¶
Iran was eliminated after the group stage after the wild finishes in Saturday’s game, but left another hand-written note in its locker room following its 1-1 draw with Egypt in Seattle on Friday:
“We come from Iran… from a land that, for thousands of years, has placed honour above victory.
“For us, football is not only a competition for results, it is a test of character.
“Perhaps points can be won in many ways, but respect cannot.
“Perhaps a team can advance from a group, but only through fairness and honour can one stand tall before history.
“Fair play is not just a line in football rules, it is the soul of the game.
“Thank you Seattle for your hospitality, and thank you to all Iranians… who gave their hearts, their voices, and their whole being for Iran. Iran, always standing tall.”
Iranian officials complained vociferously about poor treatment from the U.S. government – in the middle of a major conflict over Iranian nuclear ambitions – during the World Cup, with matches played in Inglewood, California and Seattle.
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